The incredible cafe scene of Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam

After my article about the cafe scene in Chiang Mai I was alerted to the fact that Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) has a healthy cafe scene going on as well. I know a number of location independent workers who have set up shop there and extoll the virtues of the good coffee and fast, free wifi. With such an endorsement I had to go and investigate for myself.

[Photo of a coffee while editing a photo of a coffee. How meta.]

I spent a month in Ho Chi Minh City which I thought would give me enough time to pace my cafe hopping out and give me a feel for what it’s like to live there. So I present to you my research on cafes in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City Cafe Map

District 1

Cosmo Cafe

Cosmo Cafe was the first cafe I went to on this trip to Ho Chi Minh City. I met up with Jon Myers here, who ended up being my cafe recommendation machine as he had been living in the city for the previous six months. I was last in HCMC in 2005 and do not remember the city having anything as modern as this place. Good coffee and vibe here and as it turned out, a harbinger of good cafes to come.

Location: Corner of Le Thanh Ton and Le Pasteur Street, Dist. 1

Id Cafe – District 1

“OMG this is my new favourite cafe!” is something I exclaimed a number of times in Saigon, and I said that as I entered Id cafe as well. There is a downstairs cafe which is quite small, so make sure to go upstairs.

L’usine – Dong Khoi

By now I was starting to realise that there is a fairly awesome cafe scene going on in Ho Chi Minh City. Coming to L’usine confirmed that. This cafe is on the first floor of a building with an entrance via an arcade. Once you arrive upstairs you are greeted with a cafe that is truly world class. This is another cafe I ended up at more than a few times. After revisiting this cafe a number of times I realised that I wasn’t going to be able to visit 30 cafes in 30 days. Oh well, I’ll just have to come back for further research.

The Workshop

The evolution of cafes in Ho Chi Minh City continues with the addition of The Workshop. Located in an old building with a beautiful staircase, this cafe has quality espresso coffee as well as serving pour over and aeropress coffee.

M2C Cafe

The Morning Cafe

Off Le Loi and down a little alley, this is another one of those hidden away surprises. Their business card says “writers hideout, book lovers corner”, which are always good qualities of a working cafe.

Lobean the Coffee

A popular option for those living in 18A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai (the street with lots of rooms for rent), this cafe serves some of the cheapest espresso coffee in D1 and upstairs has a bench that can double as a standing desk.

Shelter

Thoai Vien Cafe

One of the popular cafe styles of Ho Chi Minh City are the garden cafes. They are usually on a big property with trees, waterfalls and ponds, and are a nice way to sit outdoors without the need for air conditioning. Most of these cafes are in the outer districts but Thoai Vien is a good option in D1.

She cafe

Decibel

Decibel is at the end of District 1 and I would never have found it in my wanders. This is another cafe I wish I had returned to yet I only made the one visit. By now it was apparent to me that the Saigon cafe scene is on steroids.

Windows 4 Cafe

Windows 4 Cafe has a reputation of being a place you go to look good and be scene, yet somehow they let this caffeinated hobo in. Apparently they have lovely ladies in their employ who are paid to stand around and look lovely (I was obviously too busy working to notice). The cafe looks out over the park in front of the Reunification Palace.

La Fenetre Soleil

La Fenetre Soleil is a suitable place to have a party or take a date in the evening. In the day time the balcony area is a good place to sit with a laptop.

Location: Upstairs, 44 Ly Tu Trong, Dist. 1

Creperie & Cafe

Creperie & Cafe has one of the better outside seating arrangements as it is opposite a park and catches a breeze so it isn’t a sweaty ordeal sitting outside. This is just as well as the air conditioning inside feels like you have stepped into a refrigerator.

Loft Cafe

Loft Cafe also has echoes of the old French-style cafes of old Saigon and it is in one of the landmark building of Saigon (on the corner of Ly Tu Trong and Dong Khoi). Unfortunately the building is scheduled to be demolished so go and experience this building before it’s replaced by a glass box.

Anh Coffee

Press Corner Coffee

Press Corner Coffee is hidden away on top of a building behind the Reunification Palace. This is a shisha cafe so inside is too smoky for my liking, but outside the balcony overlooks the park and is surrounded by greenery.

Paris Baguette Cafe

One of the many things I like about Vietnam are the bakeries. While I love the rice and noodle dishes of Vietnam, I appreciate being able to find a proper croissant for breakfast. There are tables and wifi here but I couldn’t get a seat inside. The balcony was insanely noisy from the traffic below.

AQ Coffee

District 5

Cafe Evo

A word of Vietnamese Coffee: As you may have noticed most of the cafes are in District 1 or 3. I lived in District 1 which happened to be where most of the good cafes are. I wandered around District 5 one day and found Cafe Evo, which is where I found a good Vietnamese coffee. I like the Vietnamese style coffee, but it has to be done right otherwise it becomes a frustrating experience. Sometimes the filter will get so clogged that hardly any coffee comes out. At this cafe they put your glass inside a another glass of hot water while the coffee drips.

Location: 585 Nguyen Trai Street, Ward 7, District 5

District 10

Sorrento Cafe

Break out of District 1 and head out to the outer districts where the western-style and chain cafes make way for the independent garden cafes. Lots of leafy trees and water features to give you a reprieve from the city.

Chain Cafes – Various Districts

Being a coffee-mad land, Ho Chi Minh City has its fair share of chain cafes. Starbucks opened its first branch in Vietnam here in February 2013. Gloria Jeans is also here, but other than that the chain scene here is dominated by two local brands, Trung Nguyen Coffee and Highlands.

Trung Nguyen Coffee

Trung Nguyen Coffee branches are everywhere and I have to say I ended up here many times out of convenience as it was the closest cafe to me. This is the Starbucks of Vietnam, but with better coffee. I like their branding as well – it reminds me of an old railways logo. All the branches have free wifi.

Honourable Mentions

Startup Coffee

There is a real startup vibe going on in Saigon so this cafe name seems appropriate for the times. Unfortunately Startup Coffee is nothing more than a takeaway bar attached to a donut shop. I’m guessing they aren’t going to get far with the Starbucks ripoff logo, but I wish them all the best.

Location: Tran Hung Dao, Dist 1

Cafe Vy

This cafe isn’t a work cafe but I want to list it because I like its style. There are rows coffee jars here with beans from around the country.

Location: 277A Le Thanh Ton, Dist. 1

Cong Vien Van Hoa Park

If you sit down in Cong Vien Van Hoa Park long enough you will soon be found by a drink vendor that can bring you a coffee. Apparently in the morning the park is filled with suits getting a caffeine fix. I never made it that early so I can’t verify that, but there always seemed to be groups here having little coffee parties when I went through.

Location: Cong Vien Van Hoa Park, Dist. 1

Closed Cafes

With so many cafes in the city there are the inevitable closures. I’m keeping a record here of cafes that were on the list but have since closed.

Great round up James! I didn’t realize there’d be so many coffee shops with wifi in the city, the only one I’ve visited was Coffee Bean. Will keep this mind for the future, coffee & wifi is a must-have for extended travel

I feel a bit ignorant, but… At first glance, I would have never thought any of these cafés were located in Vietnam. Clearly, I don’t know a lick about this country can’t wait to visit and be surprised many times over! Great photos + post

Wow James, You have certainly been around the coffee haunts. My husband loves coffee shops. We found Highland Coffee a great place in Hanoi to hang, charge our laptops and generally use to relax away from the busy streets. That Vietnamese coffee – a glass within a glass is an excellent idea. It was so hot when we were in Saigon last April, that we could not get past the cold fruit drinks. Cheers.

I was fortunate to hit The Press Room with the one and only Jesse Lawler when I stayed with them a few days in January. Loved that place, though the tree trunk tables were a little weird to navigate with laptops at first. I guess I’ll need to head back to check out a few more of these cafes. Thanks for the run-down!

It would be good to make a distinction between places that make the awful, robusta based vietnamese coffee – and the higher quality international standard places (even Starbucks only use Arabica beans).

If I have to drink any more black robusta sludge I think I will have to kill myself.

Oh how I crave an antipodean Flat White round about now – any chance of highlighting any such places as it’s not clear from browsing which is which.

Great Article! It is amazing how much selection one can find in Vietnam!
I found coffee houses in Vietnam to be accessible and their menus were user friendly. The staff in most of these spots speak some English but the further out you go from District 1 the less likely you will find English speaking but pointing works well. As and FYI “sweet milk” = condensed milk
Happy Travels.

IF you’re willing to chill like a real local, post up in District 1 outside of the mall on the sidewalk. You can get coffee for maybe, 30 cents? and they give you free ice tea all day. Not to mention, if you come at night, you get some of the best street watching you’ll ever get. Thats just my opinion though (I’m Viet!)

Hi James,
Thanks for the article, I’m a little late to the party. I was searching for “best coffee shops ho chi minh city” and it came up. Thanks to it I am sipping a great Vietnamese coffee at L’usine. I will be coming back to this post as I explore the Saigon Cafes. Thanks.
Maciej

Thanks James for the great advices and introduction. I like d1 at District 3. The atmosphere is good and staffs are friendly. Just a bit walking distance from District 1, though but overall, quite and easy place. Thanks again James!

This is Uyên, from The Morning Cafe. I think we’ve met already at my shop. Many thanks for your nice review. It’s wonderful article. I would ask for your permission to share this link on my http://www.facebook.com/themorningcafe.saigon so readers will have more change to discover the SG cafes.

I’ve been slowly working my way through this list over the last few days. Sitting in Id Cafe at the moment. Looking around all I see are macbooks and digital nomads working hard – I think a few people have been taking your advice – for good reason!

Thanks for the recommendations – I’ve been impressed with all of them.

Awesome recommendations! I’ve been to 4 of the cafés you recommended so far and it’s been super awesome! (Morning cafe, ducoin, m2c, she cafe) there’s a cute cafe right next to morning cafe btw, it’s called Saigonista (I think it’s pretty new)

Thank you very much for this detailed listing, you can tell the passion for good coffee! Trust to be in HCMC soon to check out the town’s best bakeries. Ciao, Donatella (coffee loving baker based in Germany)

I love your posts, they are so inspiring. As I live in Saigon at the moment, I also checked out a lot of cafés – some of them were from your list… there are some updates and new coffee places to be discovered!!

In my blog I added some more, and from other parts of district 1 and 3 – take a look

Hi James, Thank you for the wonderful list! I recently moved back to HCMC from overseas and this lets me know cafes that are great for conversations with friends and business contacts. Tremendously useful!!!

Hi,
I’m thinking to live in Vietnam for a year to change the air, imbue my in their culture and break with my actual routine. I’m independent translator and I have many happy and loyal clients, so it I can work in any place in the world with internet.
I like nature, sailing, reading. I consume tons of silence, makes me happy
I don’t want to be travelling like a tourist during this year, so my plan is to rent a place that will be my home during the entire year. Eventually I wish to visit on some weekends other places in Asia: Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, other places in Vietnam, Hong Kong and China.
My wish is to live alone with my wife in a place near some river, beach or sea, with kitchen (I like to cook every day, this make me feel in home), minimum confort. Nightlife is not for me, I prefer family lifestyle.
Can you recommend me some cities in Vietnam to do this?

Which would you -or anyone who’d like to contribute- say is the BEST Espresso in Saigon?

I enjoy trying different kinds of coffee and have thoroughly adored different brews, beans and prep methods from all over the globe ranging from some fabulous Blue Jamaican Mountain (slow press) to good authentic Turkish coffee (basically thick and grind-y-amphetamine) but as much as I love trying new things and finding awesome spots, I really miss my coffee from back home. I like the Vietnamese cold coffee I’ve had so far (both with condensed milk and black) and I’ve had some decent espresso around, but usually they’re occasional drinks for me and nothing exciting or extraordinary.
That said, I’m positive in this bustling city with a growing cafe culture there’s some place that makes coffee like in Rome or Napoli, I just haven’t come across it yet!

I drink my espresso ristretto (that does Not mean 3 drops of thick sludgy tar for those of you who don’t drink coffee), black and with no sugar… so Especially when there’s nothing to disguise low quality beans, burnt-bitter-sour-acidic lingering taste, poorly executed preparation etc. the taste really matters. I have yet to check out many places on this list, and can’t wait to do so regardless of my post here..but I would Love to have a go-to Just for the coffee and nothing else (I don’t care if it’s a hole in the wall with zero charm and no atmosphere or wifi or manners or even seats!!)
Any and all tips welcome! Thank you again for the incredible list.

The only place I know of that even knows what ristretto means is L’usine. They have (in my opinion) the best espresso in Saigon, with Workshop a good option if you want to mix it up a bit. Workshop have some truly brilliant brewed-to-order and cold-drip coffee though.

Basilico (part of intercontinentalnhotel) does a fair Illy – but as you know – depends on barista – some are good, some less so. I usually opt for double shot machiatto to be on the safe side
If you love love blends, check out Kith in Singapore if you are ever there – their blend has a distinctly Asian edge to it, by design I understand.

the original and purest Kith is on Robertson Quay by the river (just above Saigon Bridge!!) it so small and in a sheltered corner (may fave hangout there), but they have a newer place at sentosa cove with a much larger food menu – and a nice view of boats in the marina

You should check out the district 2 coffee shops too, for me Shalom coffee in Thao Dien, district 2, makes the best macchiato I have found in HCMC with a consistent standard, I haven’t tried your full list yet, but agree with many of your picks, some of them I still don’t know how I haven’t got to them yet – great article

“Coffee House” located at 207 Vo Thi Sau District 3 has traditional coffee and is under new management. The coffee is strong & definitely one of the best iv tasted. If your in District 3 then this is the coffee shop to visit

[…] workers who travel with a backpack and a laptop. After all, there’s a cafe practically on every corner. Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 has everything a westerner could want, from fresh, cheap Asian […]

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